Historically, dynamic balancing has referred to the process, generally performed through the use of a balancing machine, of reducing vibration in a rotor piece. In order to remove residual unbalance of worked rotor pieces, dynamic or centrifugal balancing machines have typically been used to detect the amount and angular location of the unbalance.
In known dynamic balancing machines, a rotor piece is supported on flexible bearings at opposite axial ends, and is rotated. Pick-up units are coupled with the bearings to pick up once-per-revolution vibratory motion of the bearings of forces on the bearings due to unbalance of the rotor piece. Amounts of unbalance at axial opposite-end planes of the rotor piece are obtained from amplitudes of signals picked up by respective pick-up units.
Two typical methods are used for detecting the angular location of unbalance of the rotor, one being the stroboscopic method, and the other being the photocell method. Both methods require an operator to physically mark reference numbers on the rotor piece.
Based on the measured amount or amplitude of the unbalance and identified angular location of the unbalance, dynamic balancing machines generally suggest a physical location to either add, or remove, mass in order to reduce unbalance of the rotor piece and thereby reduce vibration.
Dynamic balancing machines and the accompanying methods of balancing have generally become increasingly sophisticated. The associated vibration of a rotor piece can be reduced with a relatively high degree of precision and accuracy. However, dynamic balancing machines and the accompanying methods of balancing are used to precisely and accurately balance a single rotor piece, or component of a mechanical system or assembly. While dynamic balancing may reduce or eliminate the vibration associated with a single rotor piece, individual dynamic balancing of single components may not eliminate, and may in some cases, exacerbate vibration when the balanced component is reconnected as part of a mechanical system or assembly of components.
A particular example of the problem of precisely and accurately balancing an individual component which is later inserted into a larger mechanical system is seen in racecars. Racecars are commonly driven to extremes, including extreme temperatures, extreme speeds and extreme engine revolutions-per-minute (RPM). High amounts of vibration commonly accompany high RPM in racecar engines. In an effort to reduce overall vibration, technicians remove and carefully balance individual components of the racecar. For example, a driveshaft, an example of a single rotor piece, is individually rotated and tested in a conventional dynamic balancer. When the technician reconnects the driveshaft to the remaining parts of the racecar's drivetrain, the overall vibration of the racecar is often unmitigated and sometimes exacerbated.
Reducing overall vibration in larger mechanical systems can be advantageous for many reasons. In the case of racecars, lower overall vibration of the racecar can result in greater overall horsepower and torque. Current devices and methods fall short in addressing problems of overall vibration. As a result, a need exists for an apparatus and method of dynamically balancing an assembly of component parts of a mechanical system.